French film icon Catherine Deneuve has begun filming in Japan for the fantasy drama film “Spirit World,” directed by Singaporean director Eric Khoo.
Deneuve plays a singer who suddenly dies during a tour in Japan. However, her spirit lives on and she embarks on a journey to find humanity in the afterlife.
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The project was announced by the government of Takasaki, an ancient capital located between Tokyo and Kyoto on Honshu Island, and production began over the weekend. Work is expected to last 10 days before moving to another location.
Mayor Kenji Tomioka said, “I’m happy that a movie starring Deneuve will be filmed in Takasaki.I would like to cooperate with the filming.”
It turns out that this movie is based on an original screenplay. The production is structured as a trilateral production involving companies from Singapore, Japan and France, with financial support from the Singaporean authorities. The producers are said to be in the process of arranging a distributor, and the film is expected to be completed in time for release in 2025.
Deneuve has enjoyed a long career with highlights such as Les Paraplouie d’Or (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg), Belle de Jour, Dancer in the Dark, and Indochines. Ta. She suffered a minor stroke in 2019, but she has since resumed her work, most recently playing the role of Bernadette Chirac in Martin Scorsese’s executive producer Bernadette and Funny Birds. There is.
Koo is a busy writer, producer, and director, starting his career in 1995 with Mee Pokman and continuing with Cannes competition film My Magic and the Japanese-themed anime Tatsumi. I’m here. Director Koo, who runs the production company Zhao Wei Films, previously shot part of his 2019 film “Family Recipes” (commonly known as “Ramentee”) in Takasaki.
He is also a producer on Orang Ikan, a World War II creature horror film directed by Indonesian director Mike Wiruan, currently in post-production. The film, a co-production involving outfits from Singapore, Japan, Indonesia and the United Kingdom, depicts a Japanese soldier and a British POW stranded on a deserted island who soon discover they are not alone.
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